Strap fastener



y 1951 L. ROCHAT 2,551,165

STRAP FASTENER Filed July 2, 1948 Lun'l/e L Rocha! INVENTOR.

BY g Patented May 1, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-11.1),

STRAP FASTENER Lucille L. Rochat, Portland, Oreg., assignor of one-thirdto Wade Presley and one-third to James W. Presley, both of Portland,Oreg.

Application July 2, 1948, Serial No. 36,782

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structuralrefinements in fasteners, more specifically, fasteners for straps ongarments, and the like, and the principal object of the invention is tofacilitate conveniently adjustable fastening of cloth shoulder straps ongarments of small children.

The shoulder straps of such garments are usually clasped and securedtogether at the back portion of the garment, for inasmuch as the strapsmust be adjustable, not only to assure proper fit but also to compensatefor the growth of the wearer, the conventional practice of stitching theshoulder straps together is unsatisfactory, requiring the shoulderstraps must be une stitched and resewn, each time the adjustment thereofis effected.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the instant invention toeliminate this disadvantage, this object being effected by the provisionof a fastener which may be quickly, easily and conveniently applied tothe shoulder straps, for the purpose of securing the same together, thefastener being readily releasable so as to facilitate adjustment of thestraps, when necessary.

An important advantage of the invention lies in its simplicity ofconstruction, and in its adaptibility to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and suchother objects and features as may become apparent as this specificationproceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement andconstruction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing a pair of cloth shoulder strapssecured together by a fastener constructed in accordance with theteachings of the invention;

Figure 2 is an underside view of the fastener per se, and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional-view, taken substantially on the plane ofthe line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in thespecification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the inventionconsists of a fastener designated by the general reference character I0,the same bein intended for use in association with a pair of clothshoulder straps l2, that is to say, the function of the fastener I is toadjustably secure the cloth straps I2 together.

The fastener I0 embodies in its construction an 2 elongated frame I4defining an elongated opening I6, the longitudinal edges of which arepreferably toothed, as indicated at I8 in the accompanying drawings.

A swingable strap keeper is .pivotally attached at one end thereof tothe frame I4, this keeper being designated by the reference character 20and consisting of a single piece of resilient wire which is doubled uponitself so as to provide an eye-shaped end portion 22 and a pair oflaterally angulated, free end portions 24 which, in turn, are rotatablyjournaled in suitable bearing blocks 26 formed integrally at one endportion of the frame I4, as indicated in Figure 2. A hook shaped catch28 is secured to the remaining end portion of the frame I4, and theportion 22 of the keeper 20 is releasably engageable with the catch 28,substantially as shown.

The keeper 20 extends centrally and longitudinally with respect to theframe I4 and the bearing blocks 26 as well as the catch 28 are disposedat the underside of the frame I4, as will be clearly apparent. However,intermediate portions 30 of the keeper 20 are laterally offset so thatthey are disposed in the Opening I6 when the keeper portion 22 engagesthe catch 28, and when the invention is placed in use, the straps I2 aresimply interposed between the frame I4 and the keeper 20, and the latteris engaged with the catch 28, whereby intermediate potrions 30 of thekeeper urge the straps in engagement with the teeth I8 of the openingI6, so that longitudinal and lateral shifting of the straps in thefastener is prevented.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will beclearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly furtherdescription thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changesin the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resortedto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asclaimed.

Having described the claimed as new is:

A strap fastener comprising an elongated rectangular frame affording apair of side pieces and a pair of end pieces defining an elongatedopening therebetween, a row of inwardly projecting strap engaging teethprovided at the inner longitudinal edge of each side piece, a .pair oftransversely spaced coaxial bearings provided invention, what is 3 onone of said end pieces, a substantially U- shaped catch mounted on theremaining end piece, and a strap engaging keeper comprising a singlepiece of wire doubled upon itself to provide a pair of parallel membershaving free end 5 portions angulated in opposite directions androtatably journaled in said bearings whereby said keeper may be swungtoa position wherein it extends longitudinally of said opening, thedoubled portion of said wire constituting a combined finger-piece anddetent engageable with said catch. 7

LUCILLE L. ROCHAT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 739,645 Brower Sept. 22, 1903970,567 Stahl Sept. 20, 1910 1,150,850 Comstock Aug. 24, 1915 1,407,733Comstock Feb. 28, 1922 1,827,331 Peterson Oct. 13, 1931 1,873,371 FordAug. 23, 1932

